Patients who receive intermittent or continuous doses of medication, such as insulin, via subcutaneous injection, often have an infusion set affixed to their skin in a convenient location. Means for keeping an infusion set fixed in place are often discreet and reduce the need for repeated puncturing of the skin with a needle, thereby reducing the risk of infection as well as reducing the formation of scar tissue. An infusion set typically includes a housing which supports a tubular cannula with a removable injection needle at one end for penetrating the skin and a septum at the other end for receiving a needle. The needle is attached to a supply tube from a medicinal source or infusion pump such as, but not limited to, an insulin pump.
The infusion pump infuses fluids, medication, or nutrients into a patient's circulatory system. Some infusion pumps are used intravenously, although subcutaneous, arterial, and epidural infusions are occasionally used. Infusion pumps advantageously enhance methods for administering fluids to patients. As non-limiting examples, an infusion pump can administer as little as 0.1 mL per hour injections, or it can administer fluids to a patient where the volumes may vary depending on the time of day, or in yet another scenario, it can administer up to a maximum number of doses per hour.
U.S. Patent Application No. 61/198,226 discloses is a visual identification system for an infusion set when the infusion set is installed in a pump. The visual identification system includes a pump having at least one colored light source, a tube including a surface, and a catheter. The at least one colored light source is operatively disposed in the pump. The tube has first and second ends, and the surface is configured i) to have light from the at least one colored light source incident thereon and ii) to redirect the incident light through the tube. The catheter has a distal end configured for insertion into a body and a proximal end configured to remain external to the body and to be removably attached to the first end of the tube. The redirected incident light through the tube identifies the catheter to the pump.
While a visual identification system for an infusion set is desirable, it is also desirable to have an alarm system that includes sensor(s) operatively configured to receive a signal generated at the first end or along a length of the tube and to trigger the alarm upon receiving the signal so as to identify the corresponding pump.